SAN DIEGO — KFMB TV continues to count down the months, as we prepare to celebrate our 75th Anniversary in May.
In this Zevely Zone, I visited another iconic San Diego business that's turning 114 years old this fall.
As we celebrate '75 Years', the U.S. Grant Hotel is another longtime business that shares a lot of history with CBS 8.
Opened in 1910, nine stories tall, the U.S. Grant Hotel was San Diego's first high-rise. "I think the initial reaction is the wow factor," said Lindsay Kotas.
The hotel's Director of Sales and Marketing told us the U.S. Grant may have been built in honor of President Ulysses S. Grant, but it was his son's wife's money, Fannie Chaffee, that paid for the project. "She was the daughter of the first Senator of Colorado, and it was her family's money that helped purchase the Horton House which was the original structure on this land," said Lindsay.
The hotel's signature restaurant, the Grant Grill, opened in 1952 and became a controversial lunch spot.
Plaques commemorate an important date in San Diego history, a day when the Grant Grill made the news and was the talk of the town.
The restaurant would not allow women inside before 3 PM, but in 1969 a group of prominent women staged a sit-in which resulted in a policy change. "It was a civilized way of making a step and a stand for women," said one of the women. "I am not here to protest anything but rather affirm my rights as a person," said another woman.
Plaques now show the names of the women who broke those barriers. "I hope I would have done the same thing and made a reservation," said Lindsay.
During our visit, we found construction crews working on the exterior of the building. The entire inside of the hotel has also been renovated.
"As you can imagine when you are over one hundred years old, you have got to take care of your assets," said Lindsay.
In 1980, another large remodel was covered by CBS 8 reporter Jim Gordon. "The nearly 11-million-dollar renovation project will take some ten months," said Jim at the time. Every fixture and piece of furniture was replaced that year.
As CBS 8 celebrates '75 Years', our story is intertwined with the U.S. Grant by yet another story. When you think of Comic-Con you probably think of the convention center, but did you know the very first Con was held right here? CBS 8 covered the humble gathering in 1970 in the hotel's basement. Jack Kirby, the co-creator of Captain America was there along with one America's most celebrated science fiction authors Ray Bradbury. "The U.S. Grant is a pillar in the community, it's the only classic luxury hotel that people come to," said Lindsay.
Other famous guests include Albert Einstein and more than a dozen US Presidents, but most of all, the staff wants to share this message with San Diego. "Thank you, thank you for being part of our story, thank you for being here," said Lindsay.
CBS 8 was glad to air this story on President's Day. President Grant was our country's 18th president. The Zevely Zone will continue to profile San Diego's oldest businesses leading up to our official 75th Anniversary on May 16th.